Sawyer Nabbed Anchor Job by 'Waiting Around'

New anchor is no everywoman, but ABC's winning the ratings war

(NEWSER) - Similarities between Diane Sawyer and Katie Couric abound, but the new ABC anchor is already beating her CBS counterpart. “Sawyer may be able to succeed where Couric hasn’t quite,” writes Los Angeles Times TV critic Mary McNamara, “blending the undeniable if troubling trend toward emo-journalism while still commanding the gravitas necessary for a serious news organization.” More»

New ABC anchor is no Katie Couric, and maybe that's good

(NEWSER) - Diane Sawyer slid easily into the "ABC World News" anchor chair tonight, and really, were you expecting anything different? The second woman at the solo helm of an evening newscast "made a strong, if a bit over-animated, debut," writes Robert Bianco. She interviewed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, offered a shout-out to predecessor Charlie Gibson, and generally confirmed that she has what it takes. More»

(NEWSER) - Diane Sawyer finally has the job she’s been waiting for, Rebecca Dana writes for the Daily Beast: “anchor of World News, the once towering, now considerably diminished evening broadcast.” But her renewed rivalry with Katie Couric and her struggle to hold on to Charles Gibson’s ratings will likely provide a “reason to watch the evening news next year.” Of course, the most salacious stuff has already happened. More»

Low expectations produce high ratings

(NEWSER) - With all the bloodshed at NBC, it would be easy to overlook the fact that at least one network has made a major talent changes without causing plummeting ratings. Diane Sawyer’s relatively inconspicuous slide into Charlie Gibson’s ABC anchor seat didn’t deliver an immediate ratings bump, but she’s now commanding the biggest World News Tonight audience in almost 2 years. And George Stephanopoulos’ numbers at Good Morning America are above season average. More»

As ABC tries to avoid another Katie Couric

(NEWSER) - Diane Sawyer is taking a page from Katie Couric—on how not to debut as an evening news anchor. After Katie's much ballyhooed launch on CBS—and almost immediate crash in the ratings—ABC is using the opposite strategy, moving Sawyer in with no fanfare during one of the quietest weeks of the year. "I'm much more interested in what happens six months from now than what happens six days from now," the show's producer tells the Los Angeles Times. More»